THE KABBALAH OF TIME:
Kahane and Wainer explain that the calendar is the master key to unlock the hidden rationale behind the formal structure of ancient sacred texts, as well as to understand basic mystical concepts. When comprehended within the context of the Jewish calendar, these works reveal the spiritual energy of each week, serving as a practical guide for self-analysis and development.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Week 7 (Book 2): Hearing the Cry of Rachel

Remember the
days of old; reflect upon the years of [other] generations. Ask your father,
and he will tell you; your elders, and they will inform you. (Deuteronomy 32:7)

When I am in
distress, I call upon the Lord, yes I call upon my G-d: and out of His abode He
hears my voice, and my cry enters His ears. (II Samuel 22:7)

Fear (Yirah)

Pinchas

Golan of Bashan
(also a city of refuge)

On the seventh week of the year, which almost always
includes the yahrzeit of our matriarch Rachel,[1] Haazinu’s
verse makes a reference to reflecting on the history previous generations, and
asking our fathers and our elders. These words appear related to thinking of
our matriarch, as well as of the Flood itself, which occurred in previous
generations. In fact, Rashi makes a direct reference to the Flood in his
commentary:

Remember the days of old: what G-d did to past
generations who provoked Him to anger.

reflect upon the years of [other] generations:
[I.e.,] the generation of Enosh, whom [G-d] inundated with the waters of the
ocean, and the generation of the Flood, whom [G-d] washed away.

This week’s Haftarah verse, especially the line,
“and out of His abode He hears my voice, and my cry enters His ears,” has an
even greater connection to our matriarch Rachel. After all, the most famous
line in perhaps all of Tanach regarding Rachel is found in the Book of Jeremiah:

A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter
weeping: Rachel is weeping for her children and refuses to be comforted for her
children, because they are away. And G‑d will answer her: Restrain your voice
from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work will be rewarded, says G‑d;
and they will return from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your
future . . . that your children will return to their own
borders” (Jeremiah 31:14–16; Rashi commentary on Genesis 48:7)

G-d will ultimately listen to Rachel’s voice and her
cry for her children in exile, just as He listens to King David. King David’s
verse is also a reference to G-d’s abode, the Holy Temple, the third one which,
as explained, will be inaugurated in the month of Cheshvan.

The quality for this week is fear, Yirah. As
explained in the previous week, this is a feeling closely associated with the
Flood, but also to the Third Temple.

This week’s prophet is Pinchas. As also explained in
the previous week, Yirah is a quality very closely connected with Pinchas. His
actions against the lack of fear of Heaven demonstrated by the Tribes in the
sin of ba’al peor, ultimately made him worthy to become a Kohen, later a Kohen
Gadol, and then Elijah the Prophet.

The levitical city for this week is Golan of Bashan,
also a city of refuge. Golan comes from the word “Galut,” which means exile, a
theme very much related to the above quotation regarding Rachel, our matriarch.
Galut also contains also the same root as the verb “legalot,” to reveal. As we
exert ourselves in exile, we come to great revelations. That is the reason why
Abraham did not object to the fact that we would be exiled and then return with
great possessions. These possessions were not just material, but spiritual as
well – the Torah itself. The Hebrew word used for possessions, “Rechush,” has
the same numerical value as the word “Torah.”[2]

An important lesson we learn from this week's
quality to acquire the Torah is the need for proper fear when studying. The
Alter Rebbe explains in Chapter 41 of the Tanya that fear of G-d is a key
element not only in fulfilling the negative precepts of the Torah, but the
positive commandments as well. It is often fear, not love, that gives us the
initial push we need in order to get things done.

[1]
In some years, the 11th of Cheshvan is the last day of the previous week, Week
6.

Rebbe Yisrael Taub and his son, Shaul Yedidya Elazer Taub, the First and Second Rebbes of Modzitz

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The date also marks the yahrzeit of emmissaries Gavriel Noach and Rivky Holzberg, who died "Al Kidush Hashem" (sanctifying G-d's Holy Name), as well as the Rebbe's miraculous recovery from a massive heart attack.

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Burial Place of the Mitteler Rebbe, Rabbi Dovber of Lubavitch

His yahrzeit (and birthday) is on Tuesday, the 9th of Kislev. The following day, the 10th of Kislev, is celebrated as the day of his personal redemption.